Adjustable tie assembly for maternity garments



P .JGUBS ET AL ADJUSTABLE TIE! ASSEMBLY FOR MATERNITY GRMENTS May 31, 1955 Filed June 2l, 1954 United States Patent O ADJUSTABLE TIE ASSEMBLY FOR MATERNTY GARMENTS Phillip Jacobs and Edward R. Jacobs, Kansas City, Mo., asslgnors to Phil Jacobs C0., Inc., Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application June 21, 1954, Serial No. 438,020

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-221) This invention has to do with maternity garments in the nature of those disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,544,386, dated March 6, 1951, and has for its primary object to improve upon the structure therein set forth permitting gradual increase in the girth of the garment adjacent to, and immediately below, the waist thereof.

In the maternity garment disclosed in said patent, there is provided a downwardly-extending opening in the body of the garment traversed by a pair of tying tapes and by a vertical strap. The strap is looped over the tying tapes and adjustable means is provided to permit increasing the size of the body, not only by adjustment of the tying tapes, but by increasing the effective length of the strap.

The present invention has for its most important object the advantageous use of the hem outlining the U- shaped opening by securing one end of the adjustable strap within the hem and thereupon extending the strap outwardly into a loop whereby the strap more appropriately conforms to the shape of the abdomen, thereby providing added comfort to the wearer.

Still another important object of the instant invention is to improve upon the adjusting means of the garment of said patent by utilizing a slide buckle permitting minute adjustments in the effective length of the strap.

Other objects include the way in which the waistband, as Well as the said hem, are in the form of U-shaped members embracing corresponding edges of the garment body; the way in which the hem extends into the U- shaped waistband; the manner of extending the waistband to present the aforementioned tying tapes; the way in which the novel fastening of the lowermost end of the strap to the hem tends to cause the latter to press tightly against the body of the wearer, thereby eliminating unsightly bulges.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of an adjustable tie assembly for maternity garments made pursuant to our present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken on line lI-II of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detailed, fragmentary, cross- `sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

While the principles and advantageous features of the instant invention are adapted for use in connection with various types of maternity garments having a waist, they are particularly useful in connection with slacks, peddlepushers, shorts and other pant-like garments broadly designated by the numeral in addition to legless clothing such as skirts.

Garment 10 is provided with a waist 12 and a substantially U-shaped opening 14 at the front thereof extending downwardly frorn the waist 12 and having its bight remote therefrom. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, the uppermost edge of the garment 10 is embraced by a U-shaped waistband 16 held in place by stitching 18. Waistband 16 extends into a pair of exible tying tapes 2t? and 22 that may be tied together across "ice the uppermost open end of the opening 14 in a bow 24. The two thicknesses of the tying tapes 20 and 22 are stitched together as at 26.

Opening 14 is defined by a U-shaped hem 28 held in place by a line of stitching 30 and having its two uppermost ends extending into the waistband 16 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, it being noted that the line of stitching 18 serves to hold the hem 28 in place Within the waistband 16.

An elongated, flexible strap broadly designated by the numeral 32, preferably of double thickness and stitched together as at 34, spans the distance vertically across the opening 14 between the bight of the latter and the tying tapes 2t) and 22. The lowermost end of the strap 32 extends into the hem 28 exteriorly of the body 36 of garment 10 and is permanently secured to the latter by the line of stitching 30.

Strap 32 extends upwardly from the hem 28 at the bight of the latter in a loop 38 across the hem 28 and thence in an outermost stretch 40 across the opening 14 longitudinally thereof to the tying tapes 20 and 22 and perpendicular to the latter. From the outer stretch 40, the strap 32 extends in a loop 42 over one of the tying tapes 20-22, thence downwardly in an innermost stretch 44.

A buckle 46 is secured rigidly to the lowermost end of the innermost stretch 44 of strap 32 by use of a clamp 48 forming a part of the buckle 46. Buckle 46 is normally slidable along the outer stretch 40 and has a manual clamping jaw 50 that tightly grips the stretch 40 when swung to the position shown in Figs. l and 2 to hold the buckle 46 against sliding movement with respect to the stretch 40 of strap 32. Thus, the effective length of the strap 32 may be easily and quickly adjusted by releasing the ingerpiece 50 and sliding the buckle 46 along the stretch 40 to the desired position thereon. By virtue of the provision of buckle 46 and its operable connection with the stretches 40 and 44 of the strap 32, minute adjustments are permitted and vwhich are not made possible by the corresponding structure of Patent No. 2,544,386 aforementioned.

The importance of extending the lowermost end of the strap 32 into the hein 28 at the bight of the latter and projecting the same forwardly and upwardly in loop 38 exteriorly of the body 36, should not be overlooked. Normally the bight of the opening 14 is beneath the bulging abdomen of the wearer and loop 38 conforms essentially therewith in configuration not only aording complete comfort to the wearer, but eliminating unsightly bagging or bulging of any part of the garment adjacent to the waistband 12 and throughout the front of the garment extending from the tying tapes 20 and 22 downwardly to the lowermost end of opening 14.

The strap 32 is, of course, held in a rather taut condition bowed outwardly from the loop 38 to the loop 42 in conformity with the shape of the abdomen and strap 32 is not only fully capable of assuming such configuration, but when the same is in such taut condition, it tends to press the hem 28 tightly against the body of the wearer, particularly along the bight of the opening 14. It is at this point, i. e., at the bight of hem 28 and opening 14 that unsightly bulges and gatherings normally form in maternity garments of all types because of the abnormal shape of the wearer, but through use of strap 32 and its particular and specific manner of attachment to the hem 2S, the disadvantages just mentioned are entirely eliminated.

It can now be appreciated that the improvements hereinabove set forth provide for advantages not made possible through the construction disclosed in the said patent and, therefore, it is desired to be limited only by the spirit of the instant invention as dened by the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired'to be secured by Letters Patent is: In a maternity garment, the combination of a body having an open top and an opening extending downwardly from the top at the front of the body to accom modate the enlarged abdomen of the wearer; a first elongated, exible tape joined to said body along the uppermost edge thereof to present a waistband and extending 10 outwardly from the body at said opening to present a pair of tying ends for joining the waistband across said opening; a second elongated, exible tape joined to the body along the marginal edge thereof defining said opening and terminating at each end thereof between the body l5 and said first tape; an elongated, flexible strap joined at one end thereof to the body and said second tape, therebetween and at the bight of said opening, said strap projecting downwardly and outwardly from the second tape exterorly of the body, upwardly in a first loop over said second tape, thence upwardly from the first loop in an outermost stretch extending across the opening, thereupon in a second loop over the iirst tape, and terminating in an innermost stretch; and a releasable buckle on said inner stretch of the strap in clamping engagement with the outermost stretch. for interconnecting the stretches, said buckle being slidable along the outermost stretch when released for cooperating with the rst tape in permitting gradualv increase in the girth of the body at, and immediately below, said waistband.

References Cited in the ie of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

